Chelsea vs Newcastle Match Preview; 12th January

Chelsea vs Newcastle Match Preview; 12th January

Chelsea host Newcastle United in the Premier League this Saturday at 5:30pm, looking to extend their unbeaten record in the Premier League to four matches.

Chelsea are looking to bounce back from their narrow 1-0 loss in the Carabao Cup semi-final 1st leg against Tottenham which happened midweek.

Even though Sarri claimed that his side were the better team against Tottenham, the Blues problem was scoring goals and this has been a problem for a while now. So can they reduce this worry by scoring alot of goals in this fixture at the weekend against Newcastle?

Newcastle United head into the weekend sitting just two points above of the relegation zone after failing to win any of their last four outings in the top flight.

The Magpies will be looking for a positive result in this match to avoid the prospect of dropping into the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.

The Northern club will need to upset the Blues at Stamford Bridge to avoid this phenomenon happening.

Recent form in the Premier League for both sides

Chelsea- W/L/W/W/D

Newcastle- W/D/L/D/L

Is this game on TV in the UK?

Yes

The match will be televised live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 4K UHD. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.

The game coverage starts at 5pm on BT Sport 1.

Team News

Chelsea

Hudson-Odoi has started Chelsea’s last two fixtures, but Sarri could opt to include both Willian and Pedro after their return from injury.

Eden Hazard may once again be given the nod over Morata and Giroud down the middle, while Mateo Kovacic is expected to replace Ross Barkley in midfield.

Sarri is likely to revert to his tried-and-trusted backline, with Kepa Arrizabalaga and David Luiz returning to the side after missing the EFL Cup tie with Spurs.

Newcastle

Benitez has a number of injuries to key players, with the likes of Federico Fernandez, Mohamed Diame and Jonjo Shelvey all doubts for the trip to England’s capital.

That could leave Benitez to go with a back three with Florian Lejeune been given his first league start of the season, and Isaac Hayden continuing in central midfield despite being linked with a transfer away from the club.

Kenedy may be given a start against his former club, although that could lead to another former Blues player Christian Atsu dropping down to the bench.

Sarri on injury updates- “Loftus is out at the moment. Yesterday Alvaro trained with his teammates. We need to see the last training today. I hope he can play tomorrow.”

Sarri on Higuain- “I’m not involved in the market. I spoke to the club and they know my opinion. In my opinion, we need two more players.”

Sarri on Fabregas- “You know my opinion. I think he needs to go. For his condition, he’s not able to play.”

Sarri on Fabregas’s replacement- “I need a replacement.”

Sarri on Bayern’s approach for CHO- “I think their approach is unprofessional. I didn’t think that they respected the club in their approach.” He also adds that he is “Very happy with the player.”

Sarri on Willian’s future- “I don’t know.” He adds that he doesn’t want to lose Willian, but thinks that he can improve. He states that Willian is very important to his team. He adds that he thinks it’s impossible that he will leave in January.

Sarri on the transfer window- “It’s crazy to have a market window of 30 days at this moment of the season.” Maurizio adds that it would be better if the January window was shorter.

Sarri on tomorrow’s game- “The match is very difficult, because they are doing better away.”

Sarri on Christensen- “He played very well in the last match, so I think that he is ready to play” Sarri adds that Christensen is a good option to provide cover for Luiz and Rüdiger.

Sarri on Morata- “If Morata goes, we need another player. At the moment Morata is here, so he has to think only to play.”

Newcastle Manager: Rafael Benitez (Quotes source- BBC Sport)

“Last January, we were in a difficult position, but we started winning and we finished 10th.

“It’s a big city and it’s a massive club. Some people say you have to do this and do that, but the reality is that when we work together and we are united, we are stronger. We saw that in the Championship and we saw that last season.”

Head to Head

These two sides have met 163 times in all competitions over the years, with the Blues having a better head to record than the Magpies. Chelsea have beaten Newcastle 70 times. There have been 40 draws between these two sides over the years. And Newcastle have beaten Chelsea on 53 times.

In terms of Premier League and League head to head record, Chelsea edge Newcastle in that aspect. Chelsea have 59 wins in the League against Newcastle. There have been 37 draws between these two sides in the League. Newcastle have beaten the Blues 49 times in the League over the years.

Their most recent meeting came earlier this season in August, when a late Yedlin own goal was enough for Chelsea to collect a famous and a rare 1-2 win in the Premier League at St James’ Park. A ground where Chelsea have struggled over the years.- Especially in both the Mourinho era’s.

Betfair have made Chelsea the favourites for this game, with a win for the West-Londoners being priced at 1/4. A draw between these two sides is being priced at 11/2. A shock Newcastle win at Stamford Bridge is being priced at 15/1.

First goalscorer odds

Eden Hazard: 16/5

Salomon Rondon: 11/1

Pedro: 9/2

Olivier Giroud: 7/2

My Prediction for this game is a 3-1 Chelsea win. I think Newcastle will surprisingly get the first goal of the game through Rondon. And I think going 1-0 down will wake Chelsea up, and Chelsea will turn the game around with goals from Giroud, Hazard and Pedro giving the Blues a 3-1 win over the Magpies.

Comment down below your score predictions for this game and who do you think will score?